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ofahn wrote:Clearly a great move, but I would have a hard time picking above the Guthrie trade or signing Chen.

Another nail hit on the head!

Guthrie was reaching the age and number of innings where pitchers really fall off. Jason Hammel was a huge pick up for this team and Chen was positively brilliant. Some guy named Gonzalez that Boston didn't want was also a very fortuitous move for the team.

Also Machado has been a fine success, but he should be better next season. He certainly should draw more walks, perhaps cut back on strike outs a smidgen and possibly hit even better.

Machado has been everything we could have hoped for, but he's starting to show his warts. He needs to be more patient at the plate, and he looks like he's getting tired which has affected his play. I realize I sound like a broken record but he needs to work on his endurance this winter as well as pitch recognition so he lay off of the pitches he CAN'T handle and wait for the ones he can.

He's 20 years old and wasn't expected to play past September. He's never played this much baseball in one year in his life. Look at Trout last year, most 20 year olds do tire out in their first season in the MLB.

Matt P wrote:He's 20 years old and wasn't expected to play past September. He's never played this much baseball in one year in his life. Look at Trout last year, most 20 year olds do tire out in their first season in the MLB.

My comments weren't a criticism but more of an evaluation of where his development is at this point.

I'm realistic enough to recognize that we made the playoffs primarily because the rest of the division came back to us. We'll need a LOT of individual improvements this winter to get back to the post season next year.

ofahn wrote:My comments weren't a criticism but more of an evaluation of where his development is at this point.

I'm realistic enough to recognize that we made the playoffs primarily because the rest of the division came back to us. We'll need a LOT of individual improvements this winter to get back to the post season next year.

The team from August 1st was the best team in baseball. I don't think the division came back to them as much as some do. Tampa is what Tampa is, a great pitching weak hitting team that is going to be very streaky. New York is basically a more expensive version of the Orioles. The Red Sox are horrible and Toronto was bitten by the injury bug more than any of the teams.The team they had from August 1st on was a legit contender and they are proving it now. Add Nick Markakis to this team and this team is just as good if not better than New York, Detroit, and Oakland.

Next year will likely be close to the same team they have now. They need to decide if they want to pay McLouth and Thome to come back, what they are going to do at 2B, and once again make some savvy minor league free agent signings. I don't see any reason they can't once again contend in the AL East.

Matt P wrote:Tampa is what Tampa is, a great pitching weak hitting team that is going to be very streaky.

IMO Tampa is a perfect example of a team that came back to us. Carlos Pena and Luke Scott underperformed, which forced Joe Maddon to use players with good bats and bad gloves. Consequently, their defense was the worst it had been in years. If they decide to use David Price as trade bait this winter they could land a Billy Butler and another piece from the Royals. Combine him with Alfonso Soriano and they will have improved by at least five games next year.

IF they had those same five games next year we would be at home right now.

Matt P wrote:They need to decide if they want to pay McLouth and Thome to come back, what they are going to do at 2B, and once again make some savvy minor league free agent signings. I don't see any reason they can't once again contend in the AL East.

I do, and I hope that DD feels the same way. We CAN be perennial contenders, but some holes will need to be filled and some key [players will have to step up to the next level.

First two things needed to be done this winter is: 1. Extend Hammel at least 2 more years past next year...unless his knee is viewed by the med staff as a furture problem, i say he is on the verg of Ace status..He has that look and he is at the right age and he hasnt been all used up with innings..Get him now before he is healthy next year and goes to the AS game and gets some Cy Young votes..

2. Sign McLouth..even if it is for 2 years...He is a Gold Glover and hits at the top of the order and plays the game right in every way. Enough said...I dont care about Hoes or Avery or Reimold..They might never be as good as McLouth in a true ball player sense. Besides, there will be injuries so they will get their chance or as in Reimold -DH..

these arent the only things I would do but i do feel they are first on the list...

Now that Dectective has brought it up, I can't help myself from thinking about the offseason. Goals:1. Resign Rick Petersen. If I am correct, he is only on a one year deal. The work he has done with Tillman alone is enough to grant him another contract. Next year, he gets the projects of Arrieta, Matusz, Britton, and Bundy.2. Get Chris Davis playing first base again. He was supposed to be an above-average defender. If he can play first well, that will delete the need for Mark Reynolds, which will give us an extra 10.5mil to work with.3. Sign a righty infielder bat such as Jeff Baker or Jeff Keppinger to compliment lefties Flaherty and Davis.4. Sign quality rotation arm such as Jackson, Lohse, Marcum, McCarthy, Sanchez, Santana to give us a rotation of Hammel, Chen, Tillman, Gonzalez, FA with Arrieta, Matusz, Britton, and Bundy in AAA and with Wada and S.Johnson in long relief. Hunter's days as a starter are done.I don't see a need to resign McLouth with Hoes waiting in the wings. He's ready. This was just a dry run. I might have missed some things or not thought through a goal. Its cruel that I can't stop looking forward to the offseason when we are in the postseason.

LA Detective wrote:First two things needed to be done this winter is:1. Extend Hammel at least 2 more years past next year

I wouldn't do that yet. I would wait until late May or early June to see how Arrieta, Britton, Bundy, and Matusz are developing at AAA to decide whether to invest between 25 and 30M in Hammel; and that's assuming he'll take a home town discount. All four of those guys have at least as much talent as Jason, and if they show that they're ready to convert it into success at the ML level then they would be much cheaper than a contract extension designed to buy out "free" agent years.

If we decide to make Hammel a qualifying offer after next season and he goes somewhere else we get a first round drafty pick for him. If he accepts we get him back for about 14M. It's win-win for us.